The Spirit Awakens
by Ann Parker
Summary: One-Shot. Voted Best Garcia/Reid in the 2016 PCAs. Takes place in season 11. Minor reference to winter finale. Reid returns from leave and is saddened by Garcia's demeanor after being cooped up in the office for so long due to her protection detail. He decides to cheer her up in the only way a fellow nerd can.


**A/N: I don't own Criminal Minds and I certainly don't have any piece of Star Wars/The Force Awakens. Don't worry, no spoilers for SW what so ever in here - and please don't leave any in any reviews. Reference to the CM winter finale, but just speculation. Just a little one-shot that popped in my head with our two favorite nerds on the team. Came out a little sweeter and less humorous than originally intended, but nice nonetheless. ~Ann**

* * *

Reid stepped off the elevator with his customary sugar laden cup of coffee. The warm cardboard cup felt good on his cold fingers, the cool air finally starting to take over the DC area in mid December. He was actually surprised it wasn't colder yet, but the Nevada native wasn't complaining, particularly after having just gotten back into town after nearly a month in the desert. He knew he was getting in before most of the team, having been told that they hadn't come back from their last case until late last night. He could have come in later and no one would have noticed, but he was actually itching to get back to normal.

Everything with his mom was finally settled; she was finally on a regimen that seemed to be working, at least for now. His brain craved sitting down to do some consult work, having been consumed by thoughts of ways to help Dr. Norman figure out the best course for Diana. So here he was, in way too early at the BAU.

There was only one other person that would be here. He had heard from JJ that Hotch's last lead on the hit men network hadn't panned out as planned and Garcia was still under witness protection and living in the office. He set his messenger bag down at his desk and draped his coat over his chair, before taking his coffee with him down the hall. He could see the blinds weren't closed, the door was ajar. She seemed to be…cooking?

He knocked lightly on the door. "Good morning, Garcia."

It warmed his heart to see the smile cross her face in excitement. "Boy Wonder, you're back!" She quickly left her food to meet him as he walked in the room and she pulled him into a tight hug. A hug that seemed longer than her normal ones. Sensing her need for comfort, he squeezed her a little tighter and rubbed one hand up and down her back. The right words were eluding him, however, so he went with the obvious.

"You're going to burn your omelet, Penelope," he gently stated.

She pulled back, sending him a sad smile and he noticed her eyes glistening. "Right," she quickly replied and went back to her hot plate, salvaging her breakfast before it was a complete lost cause. "How's your mom?" she asked as she dished out her food on a plate. She gestured to the small table and he took a seat opposite her.

"Stable, at least for now," he replied, taking the time to study his friend. He could tell she hadn't been sleeping well and seemed anxious and, well, sad. He couldn't blame her for any of those feelings, but it upset him to see her this way. He had to find away to cheer her up.

"That's good." She reached across the table, squeezing one of his hands with her free one. "We've missed you, Reid."

He smiled softly. "I've missed you guys too." He paused, taking a sip of coffee. "How are _you_ doing?"

"I'm fine," she replied with a wide smile. He simply raised an eyebrow at her and she caved, sighing. "I know, I know, why lie to a profiler, right? Sometimes it really sucks when your best friends can read you so well because it's their job."

Reid smiled and nodded, having been on that end of the team's gaze himself. "Then why try it?"

She rolled her eyes as she finished eating. He also finished his cup of coffee. She stood and he followed, surprised when she looped an arm through his and led him out of her makeshift living space. They headed to the break area. "You have enough on your plate, my gentle genius, you don't need to worry about my cabin fever. Besides, like there's anything you can do about it. Aside from catching these crazies targeting me, I mean."

He went about starting the first pot of coffee for the morning for himself and the others while Garcia went about making some tea for herself. "Garcia, just because I have other things going on, that doesn't mean I'm going to stop worrying about my friend." He turned to make sure he held her eye contact. "Is there _anything_ I can do for you?"

"Get me out of here for a few hours? Maybe to a movie or something?" she asked. Her tone came across as a mixture of joking and secret hope. She continued, "I'm going crazy in here. Last week, I was talking to myself while deciding on what dessert to eat."

He sighed and sent her a sad smile. "I highly doubt Hotch will let me do that." He saw her deflate some before him. "But, I'll ask anyway. And, hey, I could hang out after work some night this week and we could do a Dr. Who marathon. I haven't had a chance to catch up on the last few episodes."

She smiled at his gesture and offer of company as she picked up her cup of tea. Before heading to her bat cave, she leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Doctor."

He smiled and nodded as she pulled back. "Of course Clara." That earned him a chuckle as she walked away. He watched her leave and pondered what he could do that would lift her spirits. He was positive Hotch would turn down his request to treat Garcia to a movie, but maybe he could bring a movie to her. One came to mind immediately as it was something the pair had been talking about for months, but how could he pull that off? Sighing, he headed to his desk to get started on the day and contemplate that puzzle.

* * *

It took him about a week and a case in between, but he had found a way. He had to quickly tuck the package that arrived for him at work in his bag before she saw it. Tara had, sending him a questioning look as to why he had something delivered to work instead of home. But, it was too high risk to let it sit by his door if they were still away. At least at Quantico, it was a little more secure. He had promised he'd keep it safe. Now, it was Friday night and everyone was heading out for the weekend.

"Spence, you sure you don't want to come to dinner? Henry has been missing you and I know Michael would love you to visit as well," JJ asked for the second time. He smiled at her offer, knowing she'd been worried about him while he was gone.

"I can't tonight, JJ. But, how about brunch on Sunday?" he offered, having missed his godsons as well. He just couldn't do it tonight.

JJ smiled, "That sounds great. How about ten at the Royal Diner?" It was one of their favorite places to get pancakes for Henry and Reid loved their pie.

"Sounds good." He paused. "Hey, how do you feel about bringing the boys over here for a bit after we eat?" She wrinkled her brow and he nodded his head towards the space Garcia was living in, even though she was still in her office. "I think their godmother could use some hugs and kisses too, don't you think?"

JJ's eyes widened, as did her smile. "That's a great idea, Spence. Why didn't think of that?"

"Well, I _am_ the genius," he joked, earning him a teasing smack on his arm.

"Ha! Night Spence, see you Sunday!"

Reid watched her leave, quickly followed by Tara, then Rossi and Morgan. Finally Hotch came down the stairs. "You're not trying to make up being on leave by working late, are you?" the team leader asked.

Reid smiled and shook his head. "No, finished with work. But, I am going to hang around for a bit." His gaze went to that room again and he caught Hotch smile softly. It was no secret that aside from Morgan, Reid was probably closest to their technical analyst, particularly because the two shared several things in common that the rest weren't as inclined to partake in.

"Good. Do what you can to cheer her up. This has been rough on her," Hotch replied, thinking about his dinner with her a few weeks ago. Reid nodded and Hotch patted him on the shoulder as he left. He watched the man leave and then quickly made his way to her living space, setting a gift box with a note on her table. He barely made it out of the door when he heard her heels clicking down the hall.

"Hey Einstein, you want to catch up on your Who tonight?" she greeted.

Reid shook his head, "Afraid I can't tonight. How about tomorrow?"

He noticed her smile fall a little and he hated lying to her, but it would ruin the surprise if he told her the truth. And he knew she loved surprises – when they were good ones. "Oh, okay. Tomorrow sounds great, say around one?"

Reid nodded. "Perfect. I'll bring you some vegetarian pad Thai."

That got him another grin. "You are awesome, Reid."

He blushed a little and nodded. "Night Garcia." She bid him goodnight and he quickly made his way to the elevator. He had to hurry so he could get set up in time. He took the elevator down to the third floor, where the bureau would do some of the lectures and training exercises for new recruits. He took a turn into a bathroom, changing real quick before entering one of the lecture halls. He tucked his go bag in one of the seats before he dug out the package from his messenger bag.

"Wow, Spencer, wow."

Reid jumped at the voice and turned to see John there with the other supplies. He then looked down at himself before chuckling. "Yeah, what can I say?" He waved his hand at John, "This is not the agent you're looking for."

The senior agent laughed as he handed Reid the bags he had stored for him. "Okay, Obi-Wan Reid."

Reid smiled. "Thanks John for doing this," he held the bags up, "and for getting us in here."

John waved his hand, dismissing the comment. "Not a problem. The whole bureau is aware of Miss Garcia's predicament and I can't say I blame her for going a little crazy being here 24-7. It's nice that you're doing this for her. It's a minor thing to house some snacks and…what's in the other bag?" Reid set down the snacks on the nearby table so he could open the other bag and showed John the two light sabers in it, getting him another chuckle. "And those. You two have fun, just try to not make a mess with the popcorn, yeah?"

Reid nodded and smiled. "You got it. Thanks again." John waved as he left, giving Reid just enough time to set up the snacks on the table at the front of the class. Sadly, he didn't trust himself enough to set up the movie himself, but he figured she wouldn't complain about taking that job from him. He checked the room once more before grabbing the light sabers and he pulled his hood over his head. He stood outside the door in the darkened hallway and waited.

It didn't take but a few minutes before he could hear footsteps, although he could tell she had changed from her heels. He waited until she was close enough to hear him but not necessarily make out who he was under the hood. He then turned on both of the light sabers and turned to her. "Use the Force, Luke." He tossed one to her, which she thankfully caught.

"What the hell?" she asked, so confused, even if she was amused. He finally looked up all the way and lowered his hood. "Reid? What is all this?"

He smiled. "You don't remember that we talked about dressing up to go to _The Force Awakens_ this weekend? Granted, I think you might have picked a different costume, but I had limited time to organize everything so…" He thought she looked nice in her similar Jedi outfit, however.

She smiled and walked closer to him. "Well, sure. But it's not like we can go so…"

"You doubt Obi-Wan's abilities, do you?" She raised an eyebrow at his response and he guided her into the conference room. "Granted, I need you to actually set up the projection…"

She grabbed his arm and spun to face him. "You mean you somehow got a copy of the movie? You know pirating is illegal, right? The movie even has a warning from our _employer_ on it. Not that I couldn't probably hack my way into the studio to get it, but you didn't need to break any-"

"Breath Garcia." He headed over to his bag and grabbed the package. "It's not a pirated copy. I got a friend to send me a copy."

Her eyes grew wide in shock and skepticism. "Who in the world do you know in the movie biz that could pull that off?"

He blushed slightly. "Lila."

"OMG! You still talk with her? JJ made it sound like its been years since you two…"

Reid nodded. "It has been, honestly. But, she always told me if I needed a favor to ask, which actually turned into her calling in a favor from her manager, but I knew this was something I needed to do for you since we can't actually go to the theater."

Garcia pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you Spencer."

He pulled back a bit, kissing her on the cheek, surprising her. "You're welcome, Penelope. I know it's not quite the same as the big theater experience, but at least we can escape into a galaxy far, far away for a few hours."

She smiled and wiped away a happy tear. "You bet, Jedi Master." She snatched the package from him and headed over to the computer system to get the screen on and the movie in. That's when she noticed the stuff on the table. "Aww, and you remembered my favorite snacks too!" He had popcorn, orange soda, licorice and peanut butter M&Ms.

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" he joked as he turned off his saber and set it in the bag. She laughed, which made him smile. He gathered his snacks and took a seat a few rows back from the front for the best view of the screen. Finally, she had the movie ready to go so she grabbed her goodies and joined him.

They shifted slightly in their seats, Reid stretching his legs the best he could and Garcia leaning to her side. Just as the opening credits were starting, she looked over and kissed his cheek again. "I've missed you."

* * *

Monday morning came and Reid strolled into the bullpen with his sugar-laden coffee once again. He noticed Hotch had managed to beat him in this time, but none of the rest. He set down his bag and took off his coat before he noticed the new item on his desk. He reached down and picked it up, a smile crossing his face.

"What's that?" He turned to see Hotch standing by him, his empty cup in hand. Reid turned back to the item, pushing the button on the bottom of it so the small toy, about the size of a large keychain, lit up blue. Hotch raised an eyebrow. "Mini light saber?" he took a guess. Reid nodded.

"Good morning!" Garcia greeted the two, coming to get her tea.

Both noticed the cheeriness that had been missing was back in her voice. Hotch looked at Reid and patted him on the shoulder before turning to get his coffee. "Good work, Obi-Wan."


End file.
